After watching the officials give Todd Ziele a home run yesterday even though the ball was STILL ON THE FIELD after bouncing off the basket, I had to reflect on some of the worst calls I’ve ever seen.
Two seasons ago at Wrigley came to mind when the Ump called yet another home run that was CLEARLY foul, and everyone on every sportscast new it. The funny part was, right after that, the next batter hit a foul into the stands and everyone stood up and did the home run sign with their finger. It was like we all came up with the same joke.
And perhaps I’m not remembering clearly, but about 12 years ago (?) when I was first becoming rabid about football, I remember watching a Packer lineman PICK UP Jim McMahon and throw him down on his injured shoulder minutes after the play had ended…and he never got whistled for it. That burns me up to this day.
What are some of the worst calls you’ve ever seen, calls that still burn you up to this day?
Jeffery Maier. That should be 'nuff said right there. Yankees/Orioles in first round of playoffs. Derek Jeter hits a ball that is going to be caught very easily by Terasco some two feet below the top of the wall. Little 12-year old Jeffrey leans over the fence and catches the ball, which is ruled a home run. That run ties the game. The Yankees end up winning. In 12 innings. Then end up winning the World Series.
In the 70’s or early 80’s the (then L.A.) Rams were playing the Chicago Bears (IIRC). The officials gave the Rams only three downs on one of their possessions. Oops!
I do believe there was hell to pay from the League big shots.
Roger Staubach throws a “Hail Mary” pass down the sideline with only 24 seconds left. Drew Pearson pushes off from his coverage-man and catches the ball around the 5 yard line. He then runs in to score the winning touchdown to send the Cowboys to the superbowl and the Viking to the lockerroom. No offensive pass interference called.
Being a diehard Nebraska football fan, you probly remember all the bad calls that were made when various Nebraska teams played Florida teams in the Bowl Games. Sports annoucers even said that Nebraska never had a fair chance. Also with football, it seams the Dallas Cowboys can never do anything wrong when they play according to the refs. Cowboys vs Packers and Viking especially.
Rams vs. Vikings - 1974 (75?) NFC championship game. Officials refuse to recognize two Rams scoring touchdowns and later call the Rams for some phantom illegal procedure call when about to score.
Anytime the Vikings have lost since then I believe it is richly deserved.
May Fran Tarkenton and Paul Krause rot in hell.
Sorry, I was really bothered about that game as a child.
1990 - SF 49ers at New Orleans Saints: Jerry Rice running untouched down the field. He celebrates early, spiking the ball on the 5-yard line. The ball goes out of th eback of the endzone. Should’ve been a touchback & Saints’ ball. Instead, it was ruled 49er touchdown.
Mid-1980s NBA Playoffs - Boston Celtics vs Atlanta Hawks: Dennis Johnson brings the ball past mid-court. He picks up his dribble, stands still for a moment, and hand-signals a set play. He then proceeds to dribble once again, and the refs never catch it.
Can’t believe no one has mentioned the worst one of all.
1972-Munich USA vs USSR. basketball. USA is up I think something like 51-50. Aleksander Belov shoots and misses as time expires, the referees decide to put 3 seconds back on and give them another chance. This time he makes it. They ‘win’ by one point and the gold medal, USA doesn’t show up to accept the silver.
I can’t remember the reason the refs gave for that, but I think I recounted it accurately.
Also a couple years ago when Vinnie Testaverde’s tip of the helmet crossed the goal line in Seattle and was given a touchdown even though the ball was somewhere around the one or two yard line.
The Packer LB in question was Charles Martin and he was ejected for his actions. According to Jerry Markbreit, it was the first time someone had been ejected for something other than fighting.
I imagine that a personal foul was called on the play, but because the penalty occurred after the interception and change of possession, the Packers retained possession of the ball, but were penalized 15 yards from either the spot of the foul or the end of the play.
Jim McMahon was probably the most overrated player this side of Jason Sehorn, anyway, but that’s another thread entirely.
This must be what made my household go crazy. The fact that the Packers got the ball. I just remember my dad just about getting a lynch mob together!
tlmtlm: I remember that Vinnie Testaverde play. If I remember correctly, my friend had some money on that game. It was an ugly day at the bar, I can tell you.
I remember Brent Musberger showing a highlight of a Texas-Oklahoma mid-80s thru early 90s (don’t remember exactly).
The weather was bad. The field was muddy, and a bad call cost one of them the game. I remember his saying something like, “That was the worst call I’ve ever seen in any game.”
Maybe a “real” fan can fill in the details.
But when I saw the clip, I agreed. It was baaaaaaaad.
Ahhh, the mid 1980s. When Forrest Gregg coached the Packers and Mike Ditka coached the Bears.
You have to go back a long way in history before you find a worse case of top-down assholishness on both sidelines in that rivalry.
The Charles Martin body slam was the worst moment though. He got a big fine and a two-game suspension for his flagrant idiocy, but McMahon was knocked out of comission for the rest of the season. Martin’s punishment was a slap on the wrist in comparison.
I remember Rice being guilty of the same thing in the Super Bowl – against the Chargers, I believe. Of course, that game was such a rout that I guess it’s not too big a deal.
Hmm…the first ones that come to mind that haven’t been mentioned yet…
jarbaby, how could you forget the Instant Replay Game, where the other Packer QB that didn’t know how to spell his last name was a good three yards past the line of scrimmage when he threw the game-winning touchdown? The worst part of this is that they got it right on the field, and the morons in the booth overturned it.
ah, yes, and then there was the Hue Hollins game. Game 5 of the Bulls-Knicks series the year after MJ’s first retirement. Bulls up one or two, Knicks ball, Hubert Davis shoots a three. Scottie Pippen comes within MAYBE 6 inches of his hand, but HH whistles him for a foul. Davis makes the free throws, Knicks go up 3-2 and win the series in 7.
There was a play at the plate in the '87 World Series when Don Baylor was called out. The replay showed not only his feet sliding over the plate before the tag was put on, but his legs and ass, too! The ump was in perfect position to make the call but he must’ve suffered some kind of fugue and called “Out!” when he meant “Safe!”
Nearest thing to a heart attack I’ve ever had. Well, that and the Drew Pearson push-off.
